Chapter 245: A Page in Front of the Corroded Sword
Immortal cultivators did not use sabers, most of those who wielded sabers were likely martial artists. The most skilled saber user in the world was likely that Great General in the Northern Frontier, but he clearly would not appear here. The best saber user here was Chen Chao. This fact was known and accepted by the cultivators, so when Chen Chao went to do what he had to, they chose to cooperate.
Being proficient with a saber meant being proficient at killing, and Chen Chao was indeed the one among them who was best at killing.
The broken saber was definitely one of the sharpest sabers in the world.
As the saber descended, the hand gripping it remained steady.
Chen Chao felt a hint of excitement. Even though he had no cultivation right now, he suddenly felt that this saber strike might be the most perfect one he had ever unleashed.
If he still had his cultivation, he believed this strike could seriously injure a Great Beyond Realm cultivator.
No one knew the cultivation level of the white skeleton before him.
At this moment, it made no effort to dodge the strike, only raising its own sword.
The war sword in its hand was no different from the other war swords held by the white skeletons. They were equally corroded. In fact, the war sword in its hand was even more corroded than theirs, looking like an old piece of iron, with the edge almost gone.
However, when he raised the sword, he blocked the saber strike.
There was no loud clash of weapons.
As the saber and sword clashed, rust gradually fell.
But Chen Chao furrowed his brow, and his face turned pale once again.
A force transmitted over from that iron sword, crushing toward him like a violent tide, battering his entire body.
His upper garment suddenly shattered.
Many holes appeared on the black top, as if in an instant, Chen Chao had been slashed by countless swords.
Many tiny wounds began to appear on his body, and blood began seeping out uncontrollably.
Chen Chao did not feel any sword qi, yet he inexplicably felt that the white skeleton before him should be a sword cultivator.
Up to now, Chen Chao had only encountered three sword cultivators and fought with one of them.
The female sword cultivator he met in the Divine Capital was his first time fighting with a sword cultivator.
Yu Xiyi was the most powerful sword cultivator he had ever met.
Now, this white skeleton might be the fourth.
An unnatural flush suddenly appeared on Chen Chao's face, and then a mouthful of blood sprayed out.
The blood bloomed in the air like crimson flowers.
However, Chen Chao did not retreat.
The broken saber in his hand was still pressed against the corroded sword, but his other hand had clenched into a fist and was smashing toward the white skeleton's skull.
In the face of life and death, there was no holding back.
The most effective means of killing the opponent as quickly as possible was the best method.
However, not only did he have two hands, but the white skeleton also had them.
As Chen Chao's fist came crashing down, the white skeleton also spread open its palm, meeting the punch.
Without any cultivation, Chen Chao's punch was still as powerful and heavy, aimed at the white skeleton's skull. However, in the end, it landed on its palm.
When the fist and palm intersected, Chen Chao's fist was grabbed firmly by it.
Countless sharp edges surged out from the palm, landing on Chen Chao's fist.
Previously, when Chen Chao exchanged a punch with that martial artist, the martial artist's fist shattered. Now, Chen Chao had exchanged a punch with the white skeleton, and Chen Chao's fist also shattered.
However, shattering and shattering could be different.
Chen Chao's fist shattered, but it was shattered by a sword.
There was no sword intent or sword qi in that palm, but Chen Chao was certain that his fist had been shattered by a sword.
He also confirmed that the white skeleton in front of him was a sword cultivator.
There did not seem to be anything wrong with the appearance of his fist, but Chen Chao's bones had shattered. Naturally, he could no longer clench it, so it spread open and came into contact with the bone claws of the white skeleton.
This was a very strange and subtle scene.
Chen Chao naturally knew that he was in great danger.
Especially now.
The fist was the end of his arm. When the fist shattered, what would come next was his arm. After the arm shattered, what then?
It would be his entire body.
Chen Chao did not want to die, so he exerted force to retract his hand.
The white skeleton did not tighten its grip on his hand and allowed him to pull it back. Upon closer inspection, there was even a hint of appreciation in its eyes.
Perhaps it was because Chen Chao had shown no change in expression when his fist was broken.
Although it was painful when his fist shattered, Chen Chao experienced far more excruciating pain every time he tempered his body.
So, he did not react much.
Chen Chao immediately pulled back his saber, but halfway through the motion, he swung it down again.
The white skeleton held its sword and remained unmoved.
The saber struck the sword, causing rust to fall. But the sword did not break, and it would not lose either.
It certainly would not die.
Thinking up to here, that white skeleton suddenly felt a bit melancholic.
In reality, it had died a long time ago.
……
……
It was a known fact that those vines could not trap the skeletons forever.
So when the skeletons broke free, the cultivator who had used the vines let out a painful sigh. There was not much he could do, and that was all.
He was not concerned about Chen Chao's life or death but was more worried about when he himself would die.
There was a hint of regret in his eyes at this moment, probably because he felt that after excavating the graves, he should have left immediately. As long as he left fast enough, nothing should have happened.
Just like Song Changxi who had left earlier.
The other cultivators' methods had also failed, and many skeletons rushed towards Chen Chao. The pressure on them had lessened instead.
If they could leave, they would probably choose to do so at the first opportunity without caring about Chen Chao's life or death.
But clearly, they could not leave.
The massive stone monuments without inscriptions were very sturdy. They could not break them, and naturally could not climb them either, and certainly could not escape.
They would die in the cemetery.
Fortunately, it was a cemetery, so dying here was probably a great blessing amidst misfortune.
However, no one was there to help dig graves and bury them.
If possible, there were some coffins nearby.
Thinking up to here, the cultivators felt a deep sense of despair. They remembered many things, especially the things they could not let go of.
Even in the face of human nature at its worst, it probably was not as bad as it seemed right now.
……
……
Sword cultivators had always been proud, even deceased sword cultivators.
Chen Chao suddenly said, "In theory, this should be something between the two of us."
He came to this realization and uttered these words to see how the white skeleton in front of him would react.
The white skeleton indeed emitted a strange sound, causing the skeletons that were rushing over to stop in their tracks.
It was a sword cultivator, even though it had already died, it was still proud.
Chen Chao's saber pressed down on the sword once again.
Then, the webbing between his thumb and index finger split open again, and blood continued to flow.
The white skeleton looked at him, the emotions in its eyes clear and straightforward.
"You cannot defeat me."
Chen Chao understood those emotions and did not refute it. He simply said, "I've killed many demons, and sometimes when they think they have the upper hand, they would say the same thing too. Often, when they say such things, they end up dying by my saber."
The white skeleton grinned, though it made no sound.
Chen Chao swung his saber once more.
The white skeleton found this rather boring. Watching the falling rust, it decided not to waste any more time with this young man. So, it retracted its sword and thrust it forward.
The iron sword was rusty now, and it was already dead, but the sword could still kill.
He was prepared to kill this young man.
The sword stabbed forward, creating some wind.
But, it was blocked by that broken saber.
Countless specks of rust fell, looking like dust.
He looked at the broken saber and felt that it was somewhat familiar. But he could not recall where he had seen it before.
After death, he had forgotten many things. If not for the fresh blood, he would never have briefly returned to the mortal realm.
But none of this mattered.
Having their graves exhumed by someone after death was a terrible thing.
Even some righteous cultivators could not stand it, like Yun Jianyue.
What's more, he was a victim.
So he began to grow angry, remembering some things in his mind.
A stream of sword qi emerged from the tip of his sword.
This was a sword cultivator!
Chen Chao was so close that he naturally sensed this sword qi. However, Chen Chao did not feel any fear. Instead, his eyes showed excitement.
The white skeleton saw it too and became somewhat puzzled.
Why was he excited?
He did not know, but the sword had already stabbed forward at this moment.
Chen Chao suddenly let go of the saber hilt.
In such a dangerous moment, he abandoned his plan to fight the white skeleton with the broken saber and made a different choice.
The corroded iron sword had already arrived in front of his chest.
The sword qi carrying the aura of death seemed to be taking Chen Chao into the abyss.
……
……
The tip of the sword failed to reach Chen Chao's chest.
Because a sheet of paper suddenly appeared here.
It floated in front of Chen Chao.
For that sword to pierce Chen Chao, it would have to go through this sheet of paper first.
If it were an ordinary piece of paper, no matter how dull that sword was, it would likely have no problem.
But the problem was, was that an ordinary piece of paper?
It was a page filled with words.
Those words were golden.